The residents of the municipality of Jobabo, in Las Tunas, did not receive their “regulated” basic basket bread this Wednesday due to a lack of salt for its production.
The food also did not arrive at the prioritized centers, such as schools, nursing homes, and hospitals.
"The absence of flour or another imported component can be forgiven due to the country's economic and financial situation, and that is reasonable. However, the lack of salt is counterproductive," denounced state journalist Domínguez Espinosa on Facebook.
"The local bakeries use between 10 and 13 kg of salt daily for the production of this vital food," the communicator explained, revealing that the UEB (basic business unit) wholesaler has no salt in its inventory.
However, he warned that some state-run establishments have sold the product in recent days.
"You realize that there is a lack of control in our municipality; just a few days ago, free salt was sold at the bakery, and today there is no bread. The people continue to suffer," said a user named Laisys Rodríguez.
"But how is it possible that an island surrounded by the sea has no salt?" commented Darien Rivero in the post. "That's not a problem of the blockade; it's a failure in the management of the company's commercial operations."
At the same time, a profile named Eutiquio Peña questioned: "When has a leader of this government taken a minute of their time to respond to any of these issues?"
Although journalist Domínguez Espinosa reported on his personal profile the shortage of salt in the bread production facilities in Jobabo, CiberCuba found no mention of the issue in Radio Cabaniguán, the station in that municipality, nor in other official media outlets in the province.
At the beginning of March, the government of Las Tunas announced that it would only provide regulated bread for the urban area on Tuesdays and Thursdays, due to a "severe shortage" of wheat flour in the country.
El Periódico 26 explained that the strategy was coordinated with "the Ministry of Food Industry due to the severe shortage of wheat flour that state-run companies can obtain to produce the highly subsidized product mentioned."
However, in the middle of this month, Alberto Fonseca Rodríguez, director of the Integral Company of the Food Industry of Las Tunas, announced that the production of bread for the regulated family basket in the province had stabilized.
"The use of extenders is beginning to show positive results. This is evident in Manatí, where sweet potato pulp is being used at 15%. Here are images of the work—Yes, we can!" Fonseca stated in the traditional triumphant tone of the country's leaders.
The official news portal Cubadebate, in April 2023, published an extensive report on the issue of salt scarcity in the country.
Most of the salt flats are located in the eastern region, including one in the province of Las Tunas, the news outlet reported.
A director explained that the production of this product largely depends on whether or not cyclones pass through the salt flats. Guantánamo is the province that produces the most salt, as it has a semi-arid climate, characterized by very dry conditions and little rainfall throughout the year.
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